Flexible paddle rotative laundering machine



Oct. 4, 1966 M. v. RUIZ FLEXIBLE PADDLE ROTATIVE LAUNDERING MACHINE Filed April 3, 1964 5- Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR NARCiAL. VAZ QUEZ R ui Oct. 4, 1966 M. v. RUIZ 3,276,228

FLEXIBLE PADDLE ROTATIVE LAUNDERING MACHINE Filed April 5, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR MARCI L VAZQUEZ uiz Oct. 4,1966 M. v. RUIZ 3,276,223

FLEXIBLE PADDLE ROTATIVE LAUNDERING MACHINE Filed April 5, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 INVENTOR MARC I'AL VAZQUEZ Ruiz 9M x Asia-7.9.

United States Patent Ofifice Patented Oct. 4, 1966 3,276,228 FLEXIBLE PADDLE ROTATIVE LAUNDERING MACHINE Marcia! Vazquez Ruiz, Calzada de Tacubaya 260-20, Mexico City, Mexico Filed Apr. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 357,110 4 Claims. (Cl. 68-89) The present invention refers to laundering machines and, more particularly, is related to an improved laundering machine provided with flexible rotatable paddles and inversely rotatable wiping ridges on the basket wall.

Heretofore, all common laundering machines have been of a highly complicated structure and of correspondingly high manufacturing and maintenance costs. Those with rigid paddles rotating in one direction tend to jam when clothes are trapped between the paddles and other surfaces of the laundering machine. When the rigid paddles are moved alternatively in an oscillatory rotative motion, while the above drawback is overcome, the driving mechanism generally results in a very complicated and costly machine. Those with flexible paddles, as far as applicant knows, are inefficient in that they have no means to suitably scrub the clothes due to the flexible character of the paddles which are the only movable elements in this type of machine.

Having in mind the defects of the prior are laundering machines, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved laundering machine having a very simple driving mechanism, and a paddle and ridge system for scrubbing and washing clothes, and only involving from moderate to low maintenance and manufacturing costs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a laundering machine of the above mentioned character, which comprises two inversely rotating members and flexible paddles attached to one of said members, cooperating with ridges attached to the other of said members.

A still further and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved laundering machine of the type described, which comprises means on the flexible paddles to scrub clothes in a highly efiicient and reliable manner by rotation thereof.

The foregoing objects and other ancillary thereto are preferably accomplished as follows:

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention,

a cylindrical fiat'bottom rotatable basket is provided with vetrical ridges circumferentially spaced apart on the inner surface of the side wall, and a central cylindrical member which has an opposite rotation to said basket, comprising flexible paddles tangentially attached thereto and having means to scrub clothes or the like in cooperation with the above mentioned ridges. The basket is rotated by a hollow shaft driven by a gear mechanism and the central cylindrical member is rotated in the opposite direction through a solid concentric shaft driven by a separate gear mechanism, both gear mechanisms being in turn driven by a single driving unit within the enclosure of the machine.

. The novel features that are considered characteristic of the present invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, 'both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational cross-sectional view of the laundering machine built according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan cross-sectional view of the laundering machine shown in FIGURE 1, illustrating the inner details of the rotating basket and the oppositely rotating central paddle-carrying member;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevational view of the laundering machine, taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of one of the paddles for the laundering machine of the present invention; and

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of one of the paddles attached to the central rotating member.

Having now more particular reference to the drawings, and specifically to FIGURES 1 to 3 thereof, there is shown a laundering machine which comprises an outer housing 10 having a depressed portion 11, and a lower cylindrical portion 12 of larger diameter than housing 10. Housing 10 is provided at the top thereof with a circular member preferably built with glass fiber reinforced polyester or any other type of plastic material, which is turned downwardly in order to provide a cover 13 for the laundering machine, said cover being provided with a cylindrical flange 14 which depends from the cover of the machine in order to avoid splashing of water into the gap formed between the outer housing 10, and an inner rotatable basket 47 as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The lower cylindrical portion 12 of housing 10 is provided, at the lower end thereof, with a plurality of brackets 15, to support a corresponding plurality of wheels 16, arranged to provide for the easy transportation of the machine.

The lower part 12 of the housing contains most of the driving mechanism for the laundering machine of the present invention, which comprises a motor 18, provided with a pulley 20 and a V-belt 21, whcih transmits the rotation of the motor 18 to a pair of driven pulleys 22 and 23, each one mounted on the projecting shaft of a corresponding pair of worms 24 and 25, which in turn rotate a pair of worn gears enclosed within housings 30 and 31, one Worm gear being shown at 27, in order to provide the rotational opposite motion of basket 47 and a central rotating member 55.

The pitch of the worms 24 and 25 is selected such that rotation of driving pulleys 22 and 23 in the same direction, will result in opposite rotation of the worm gears (such as 27) for a purpose which will be clearly explained hereinafter.

As the two driving mechanisms in housings 30 and 31 are essentially similar with the only exception that worm 24 has a pitch opposite to worm 25, only one of these two mechanisms has been illustrated in the drawings and will be described below, sin-cc the disclosure of one of them will provide a clear understanding of the driving mechanism of the present invention.

The worm gear in housing 30 is fixedly mounted on a' rotatable shaft 28 supported on a base 29 which comprises a retention ring 37 and bushing 35 to allow free rotation of shaft 287 Shaft 28 is also supported at an intermediate point thereof by ball bearing 41 housed within member 32 which is formed as a projection of housing 30. On the other hand, worm gear 27 housed within housing 31 is fixedly mounted on a tubular concentric shaft 40 which surrounds shaft 28 and is independently rotatable therefrom. Tubular shaft 40 is supported by a ball bearing 38 and bushing 34 at its lower end, and extends through a bushing 36 within housing 33 and maintained therein by the detent 39, and through a bushing 42 supported by the fru-stoconical bracket 43. This independent system of rotation of the two shafts 28 and 40 enable the driving unit to rotate said shafts in opposite directions and to therefore provide for the opposite rotation of paddles 56 and ridges 49 in order to effect an efl'icient Wiping and tumbling action within basket 47.

Bracket 43 is supported at the upper end of a frustoconical member 17 which forms a drainage member for liquids, to which end member 17 is provided with a tubular outlet 17 through a valve (not shown) at the end thereof.

The inner shaft 28 is connected at its upper end, to a central cylindrical rotating member 55, provided with a plurality of paddles 56, as shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. This central cylindrical rotating member 55 is supported and attached to shaft 28, by means of one or more support radial members 54 and 57, and the upper end of shaft 28, is rotatably mounted on a bearing or bushing 51, fixedly mounted on the top of the outer concentric hollow shaft 40, in order to allow free independent rotation of both shafts in opposite directions. The outer shaft 40, is fastened to the bottom of basket 47 and, through ball bearing 51, to a protecting cylindrical member 50, which is also attached at its lower end to the bottom of basket 47, in order to prevent the entrance of water into the driving system, the seal being completed by detent 52, since otherwise, when basket 47 is filled with water, the latter would tend to overflow and find its way into the gap formed between the two shafts 28 and 40, and reach the driving mechanism.

The radial member 54 of the central rotating member 55, is centrally provided with a suitable coupling member 53, in order to fixedly attach member 55 to the inner shaft 28, and provide rotation thereof.

On the other hand, the outer concentric shaft 40 is provided with a ring 44, fixedly attached thereto at an intermediate point thereof, said ring being in turn provided with a plurality of brackets 45, attached to a circular plate 46, which in turn is attached to the bottom of rotating basket 47, in order to provide rotation thereof in the opposite direction of rotation of the central rotatinging member 55 attached to the inner shaft 28.

Basket 47 is provided with an outlet 48, which can be plugged by means of a suitable plug 48', in order to provide for the drainage of water from the laundering machine, the water being guided by the cone-shaped member 17 toward outlet 17'. The cylindrical wall of basket 47, is provided with a plurality of ridged sections 49, in order to form a non-smooth surface in the interior of basket 47, for a purpose which will be clearly explained hereinafter. The rotating basket 47, at the upper mouth thereof, is provided with an inwardly directed portion 47', in order to arrange it in front of the cylindrical member 14, to cooperatively avoid splashing of water within the gap between the outer housing 10 and the rotating basket 47, as hereinbefore described.

Generally a shaped plate or casing 58 is fixed at the upper side wall of housing 10, in order to nest the switch 59 and other control elements to effect an efficient and easy operation thereof. In the specific embodiment of the present invention, as shown and illustrated in the drawings, only a switch 59 is illustrated, as connected by proper wiring to motor 18, to feed current from the cord 19 connected by means of a common plug to an electrical receptacle of a household installation.

The laundering machine built in accordance with the present invention, is provided with a plurality of paddles 56, tangentially attached to the rotating member 55 through metal portions 60 provided with holes 63, to accommodate screws 61, in order to fasten the paddles to the proper sections of the central member 55.

Paddles 56, as clearly illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 5 of the drawings, are provided with a plurality of protuberances 62 on both exposed surfaces thereof, in order to cooperate with the ridges 49 and the inner surface of the cylindrical basket 47, to rotate and scrub clothes in a manner to be described hereinafter.

In operation, the basket 47 is filled with water and detergent, up to a proper level, and then the clothes to be washed are introduced into the liquid contained in the basket. In order to start the operation, the drainage outlet 48 of basket 47, must be plugged by means of plug 48, to hold the water at a constant level within the basket 47. Switch 59 is then operated, in order to start motor 18, which will drive the driving mechanism provided by the worms 24 and 25, and the corresponding worm gears, in order to rotate the outer shaft 40 in one direction and the inner shaft 28 in the opposite direction.

Through the action of the elements of the driving mechanism, the movable parts of the laundering machine will rotate such that the paddles 56 attached to member 55 will have their free ends always lagging behind the fixed ends, and the basket 47 will rotate in the opposite direction to effect an efficient scrubbing operation. In other words, the paddles 56 will rotate counterclockwise and the ridges 49 will rotate clockwise as seen in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. The clothes introduced into the machine within the basket 47 which is filled with water, are thus trapped by protuberances 62 of the paddles and will be made to rotate through the action of said protuberances 62 in cooperation with ridges 49 of the side wall of basket 47. Stated in a different manner, as the inner member 55 and paddles 56 Will continuously rotate in one direction, and as the basket 47 and ridges 49 will continuously rotate in the opposite direction, all clothes introduced into basket 47 will be cooperatively scrubbed by means of protuberances 62 of paddles 56 and ridges 49 of basket 47, in order to impart to the clothes a rotatory motion highly effective in obtaining a good washing operation.

As this type of machine does not effect violent changes of motion, no thrusts are applied on any member of the machine, and thus the life thereof will be considerably increased as compared to the common laundering machines of vertical type, which have a central group of rigid paddles which alternatively rotate in two opposite directions, changing direction every few fractions of a second, which will soon spoil the mechanism for driving said paddles. In the present case, rotation is quite smooth, and there are no reversals in direction or in speed, so that the life of all parts of the machine will be considerably increased.

Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it must be understood that many modifications thereof are possible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A laundering machine comprising an outer cylindrical housing; a driving unit within the lower portion of the housing and including a casing, a pair of worm gears and a pair of worms within said casing and respectively meshed in driving relation, said worms having pitches for driving said worm gears in opposite directions, a pair of pulleys disposed outside said casing and respectively connected with said worms, and means for driving said pulleys simultaneously in the same direction; an inner shaft driven by one of said worm gears, an outer concentric shaft driven by the other of said worm gears, said inner shaft being connected at its opposite end to a rotatable central member, and said concentric outer shaft being fixedly connected at its upper end to a rotatable basket, concentric to said member, in order to impart motion of an opposite direction to said members, said central member being provided with a plurality of flexible paddles for rotation therewith, and said basket being provided, at a plurality of locations corresponding to the plurality of said paddles, and on the inner surface of its side wall, with ridges to co-operate with the paddles .to continuously tumble and scrub clothes within said basket.

2. A laundering machine according to claim ll, wherein said central rotating member is provided with three paddles attached at three equidistant points on the surface thereof, and projecting therefrom in a tangential direction, said paddles being provided with a plurality of pr-otuberances on both surfaces thereof for cooperation with said ridges of the side Wall of said basket, to tumble and scrub the clothes Within the basket.

3. A laundering machine according to claim 1, wherein said basket is provided at the bottom thereof with a downwardly opening outlet for draining water therefrom, said outer housing being provided with a frustoconical member located under said basket for receiving water therefrom, an outlet pipe connected with said frustoconical member for discharging water therefrom.

4. A laundering machine according to claim 1, Wherein said basket has an open top, and a cylindrical cover mounted at the top of said outer housing, and having a depending flange enclosing the basket open top to prevent water from splashing between said basket and said housing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1871 Berry 6889 7/ 1879 Sheppard 6828 11/ 1904 Neugeboren 6889 1/ 1911 Lichetti 6889 6/1938 Kirby 6823 12/ 1952 Castricone 6823 X 3/1959 Worst 6823 X 1/ 1960 Aberle 6823 X FOREIGN PATENTS 9/1887 Great Britain. 10/ 1924 Great Britain.

IRVING BUNEVICH, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LAUNDERING MACHINE COMPRISING AN OUTER CYLINDRICAL HOUSING; A DRIVING UNIT WITHIN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE HOUSING AND INCLUDING A CASING, A PAIR OF WORM GEARS AND A PAIR OF WORMS WITHIN SAID CASING AND RESPECTIVELY MESHED IN DRIVING RELATION, SAID WORMS HAVING PITCHES FOR DRIVING SAID WORM GEARS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, A PAIR OF PULLEYS DISPOSED OUTSIDE SAID CASING AND RESPECTIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID WORMS, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID PULLEYS SIMULTANEOUSLY IN THE SAME DIRECTION; AN INNER SHAFT DRIVEN BY ONE OF SAID WORM GEARS, AN OUTER CONCENTRIC SHAFT DRIVEN BY ONE OTHER OF SAID WORM GEARS, SAID INNER SHAFT BEING CONNECTED AT ITS OPPOSITE END TO A ROTATABLE CENTRAL MEMBER, AND SAID CONCENTRIC OUTER SHAFT BEING FIXEDLY CONNECTED AT ITS UPPER END TO A ROTATABLE BASKET, CONCENTRIC TO SAID MEMBER, IN ORDER TO IMPART MOTION OF AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO SAID MEMBERS, SAID CENTRAL MEMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF FLEXIBLE PADDLES FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, AND SAID BASKET BEING PROVIDED, AT A PLUARLITY OF LOCATIONS CORRESPONDING TO 